Tottenham sanction season-saving transfer, with signing coming from Prem pair and Bundesliga ace

Tottenham will ‘press ahead’ with signing a centre-back in January following Micky van de Ven’s hamstring injury, and three names including two from within the Premier League are in their sights, per a report.

Spurs’ unbeaten league run came to an end in the 4-1 defeat to Chelsea on Monday night. However, the damage done to Tottenham’s season extended far beyond three lost points.

James Maddison appeared to sustain an ankle injury, while Van de Ven pulled up with a hamstring issue.

The diagnosis on the Dutch centre-half isn’t yet known, though manager Ange Postecoglou suggested the injury was “significant” in the post-match comments.

Adding to Spurs’ woes is the three-game suspension Cristian Romero is facing after picking up a straight red card.

Romero and Van de Ven wasted no time forming a fine pairing this term. Postecoglou will now be without his two starting centre-backs for at least the next three games.

That will bring the wantaway Eric Dier into the mix, though Spurs don’t actually have an established fourth centre-half in their first-team squad at present.

Clement Lenglet was not signed outright following his loan from Barcelona last term. Davinson Sanchez was sold to Galatasaray over the summer, while Japhet Tanganga (Augsburg) and Joe Rodon (Leeds United) both left on season-long loans.

Football Insider recently claimed a centre-back as well as a central midfielder are wanted by Spurs in January.

In lieu of Van de Ven’s injury, the outlet have provided a fresh update on Tottenham’s transfer plans that includes prioritising the defensive addition.

FI claim Spurs are ‘set to press ahead’ with signing a new centre-half and three names are in the frame.

Lloyd Kelly (Bournemouth), Tosin Adarbioyo (Fulham) and Edmond Tapsoba (Bayer Leverkusen) are the trio in question.

One of the three unattainable; another difficult to sign

Spurs bid £20m for left-footer Kelly in the latter stages of the summer window. Bournemouth refused to sell so late in the day and TEAMtalk has learned the Cherries won’t entertain a mid-season sale in January either.

Kelly is out of contract at season’s end and Bournemouth will therefore run the risk of losing a highly saleable asset for nothing.

However, the alternative is enhancing their chances of being relegated by losing arguably their best defender during the campaign.

Adarabioyo and Tapsoba were also heavily linked with Tottenham over the summer. Of the two, it’s the Fulham man who looks the more gettable target in January.

Tapsoba is currently starring for Xabi Alonso’s table-topping Leverkusen in Germany. With the club seemingly entrenched in a genuine title scrap, it would take an exceptional offer for Leverkusen to sell a starting centre-back mid-season.

Adarabioyo, meanwhile, is in a similar situation to Kelly in that his contract expires next summer. Fulham may therefore be willing to cash in at their final opportunity in January.

Adarabioyo has been sidelined for much of the campaign after undergoing groin surgery. But per The Evening Standard, he’s expected to be available for selection again in the coming weeks.

What he does between now and January could serve as an audition ahead of potentially joining Spurs in what could be a season-saving transfer.

Romero’s suspension and Van de Ven’s injury has served to highlight just how lacking Spurs’ squad depth is in a critical area.

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